Path of the Thorns

Path of the Thorns Barbarians are vicious beings, clad in armor, often coated in the blood from those around them. Their armor, covered in spikes and gore, their only weapon. They are a force of nature, a whirlwind of spikes and death.

Edgy flavortext aside, this does use a certain subclass as a base. Most features are straight improvements, if not tweaks. Aside from the capstone, of course; that was wholesale replaced.

Oh, and no, you don't need to be a dwarf to play this. Never should have been a restriction, even if it was optional.

Level 3: Thorned Armor

When you choose this path at 3rd level, you gain the ability to use spiked armor as both armor and a weapon. You may also add your Constitution modifier to your armor class while wearing spiked armor, rather than your Dexterity modifier. If you do, there is no maximum to the bonus to your armor class.

While you are wearing spiked armor and are raging, you can use a bonus action to make one melee weapon attack with your armor spikes against a target within 5 feet of you. If the attack hits, the spikes deal 1d6 piercing damage. You use your Strength modifier for the attack and damage rolls. This attack is treated as an unarmed strike, and can be made as part of the attack action.

Additionally, when you are hit by a melee attack while wearing spiked armor, the attacker takes piercing damage equal to your proficiency bonus.

Note: Any armor can become a spiked variant of itself, at the cost of an additional 50% price increase. (Example: Spiked Scale Mail armor costs 75 gp, while regular Scale Mail only costs 50.) Magical "+X" variants of spiked armor grant that +X to attack and damage rolls as well as AC.

Level 6: Goading Strike

Beginning at 6th level, at the beginning of your turn, if you are raging, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1). They vanish if any of them are left when your rage ends.

Also, when you damage a creature using your armor, you may have that creature make an Intelligence saving throw. (DC = 8 + Proficiency Bonus + Constitution Modifier) On a failed save, the damaged creature will have disadvantage on all attack rolls not made against you, until the end of your next turn. You can only use this ability once per turn.

Level 10: Momentum Strike

Beginning at 10th level, you can take the Dash action as a bonus action while you are raging. During the turn you dash, if you move at least 10ft more than your base movement speed, your next attack made using your armor during this turn automatically crits.

Level 14: Sharpest Spikes

Starting at 14th level, whenever a creature hits you with a melee attack while you are wearing spiked armor, the attacker takes piercing damage equal to twice your proficiency bonus. (Does not stack with the 3rd level feature.)

In addition, the damage dealt by attacking with your armor increases to 2d6 piercing damage. If you have a feature that changes the die rolled for the damage of unarmed attacks, you may roll two of those dice instead. (Example: the Unarmed Fighting fighting style increases your unarmed damage to 1d8. This feature allows you to roll 2d8 instead.)

Also, while wearing spiked armor, you may now add both your full Constitution modifier and your Dexterity modifier to your armor class, with the maximum Dexterity modifier cap still applying (if it exists with your armor).